Case assembly

ABSTRACT

A case assembly includes a first case, a second case, a moving mechanism and a block. The first case has an inner surface and a groove located at the inner surface. The second case includes a main part disposed on the first case and a fixing part disposed on the main part. The moving mechanism is pivoted to the inner surface. The block is pivoted to another end of the moving mechanism. The block is slidable between a fixed position and a detached position. When the block is located at the fixed position, the block restricts the fixing part so as to assemble the second case and the first case together. When the moving mechanism drives the block to the detached position, the fixing part is not restricted by the block, and the moving mechanism forces a part of the second case to separate from the first case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 105110651 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on Apr. 1, 2016, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a case assembly, more particularly to a case assembly having a moving mechanism.

BACKGROUND

With the development of technology, electronic products, such as note book computers, tablet computers or smart phones are widely used in daily life. These electronic products provide more and more functions to satisfy customers' needs and requirements and make our lives more convenient.

In general, an electronic product usually has a case assembly and required electrical components. The case assembly includes a front case and a back case which are detachably assembled together. The case assembly can accommodate and protect the electrical components and provide support to the whole product. There are two ways to assemble the front case and the back case of the case assembly together.

One is that the front case can be fastened to the back case by screws. However, internal threads of screw holes on the respective case can be worn or damaged by screw threads easily. The screws are not easy to disengage from the worn internal threads so that the two cases cannot be separated. In addition, the screw is usually made of hard metal, so the surfaces of the cases are easily scratched and damaged by the screws when using the screw.

The other one is that the front case can be assembled to the back case by a hook. Specifically, a hook on the back case can hook into a slot on the front case for assembling the front case and the back case. For disassembling the two cases, a user should use a specific tool to pry them apart. However, for prying the two cases apart efficiently, the hook is not designed to insert into the slot too tightly. But in such a case, the two cases are easily be pried apart during a testing process. In the contrary case, if the hook is inserted into the slot too tightly, then it will be hard to pry the two cases apart.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a case assembly which is easy to be assembled and disassembled.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides a case assembly including a first case, a second case, a moving mechanism and a block. The first case has an inner surface and a groove. The groove is located at the inner surface. The second case includes a main part and a fixing part. The main part is detachably disposed on the first case. The fixing part is disposed on a side of the main part which is close to the first case. One end of the moving mechanism is pivoted to the inner surface of the first case. The block is pivoted to another end of the moving mechanism. At least a part of the block is slidably located in the groove so that the block is slidable between a fixed position and a detached position. When the block is located at the fixed position, the block restricts the fixing part of the second case so as to assemble the second case and the first case together. When the moving mechanism drives the block to move from the fixed position to the detached position, the fixing part of the second case is not restricted by the block, and the moving mechanism forces a part of the second case to separate from the first case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a case assembly according to one embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the case assembly in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional views of the case assembly in FIG. 1 when a block is located at a fixed position; and

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional views of the case assembly in FIG. 1 when the block is located at a detached position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a perspective view of a case assembly according to one embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, a case assembly 1 is provided. The case assembly 1 is a housing for an electronic product. The electronic product is, for example, a note book computer, a tablet computer or a smart phone, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The case assembly 1 is able to accommodate and protect required electrical components therein (not shown) and provide support to the whole product.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is an exploded view of the case assembly in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the case assembly 1 includes a first case 10, a second case 20, a pivotal member 30, a moving mechanism 40 and a block 50.

The first case 10 includes a bottom plate 11 and a side plate 12. The side plate 12 is disposed on the bottom plate 11. The side plate 12 has an inner surface 121, an outer surface 122 and a through hole 121 s. The through hole 121 s penetrates through the side plate 12 and is connected to the inner surface 121 and the outer surface 122. In addition, in this embodiment, the first case 10 further includes a rail set 13. The rail set 13 is disposed on and protrudes out of the inner surface 121 of the side plate 12. The rail set 13 has a groove 13 a located at the inner surface 121. The rail set 13 is optional, and the present disclosure is not limited the rail set 13. In other embodiments, the rail set 13 can be omitted, and the groove 13 a is directly formed on the inner surface 121 of the side plate 12.

The second case 20 includes a main part 21 and a fixing part 22. The main part 21 is detachably disposed on the side plate 12 of the first case 10. The main part 21, the bottom plate 11 and the side plate 12 together define an accommodating space (not numbered). The said accommodating space is able to accommodate the aforementioned electrical components (not shown). The main part 21 has an inner surface 211 and an outer surface 212. The fixing part 22 is disposed on the inner surface 211 of the main part 21. In addition, in this embodiment, the fixing part 22 includes a connecting portion 221 and a fixing portion 222. One end of the connecting portion 221 is connected to the inner surface 211 of the main part 21. The fixing portion 222 is connected to another end of the connecting portion 221. Each of the connecting portion 221 and the fixing portion 222 is a plate-like member. The connecting portion 221 extends from the inner surface 211 of the main part 21 toward the bottom plate 11 of the first case 10, and the connecting portion 221 is substantially perpendicular to the main part 21. The fixing portion 222 extends from an end of the connecting portion 221 which is away from the main part 21 toward the side plate 12 of the first case 10, and the fixing portion 222 is substantially perpendicular to the connecting portion 221. The connecting portion 221 and the fixing portion 222 together form a L-shaped member.

The pivotal member 30 is, for example, a screw-like plug and made of plastic material. In this embodiment, the pivotal member 30 includes a pivoting part 31, a neck part 32 and a head part 33. The pivoting part 31 is pivoted to an inner structure 15 in the first case 10, but the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the inner structure 15. The neck part 32 is connected to one end of the pivoting part 31. The neck part 32 penetrates through the through hole 121 s of the side plate 12 and protrudes out of the inner surface 121 of the side plate 12. In addition, the part of the neck part 32 which protrudes out of the inner surface 121 of the side plate 12 is a polygon-shaped block. The head part 33 is connected to an end of the neck part 32 which is opposite to the pivoting part 31. In this embodiment, the pivoting part 31, the neck part 32 and the head part 33 are integral to be a single unit, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the head part 33 has a recess 33 a. The through hole 121 s on the outer surface 122 leaves the recess 33 a exposed. The said recess 33 a is, a cross shaped recess, a slotted or a hexagonal recess, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. A specific screwdriver can be inserted into the recess 33 a for rotating the pivotal member 30 relative to the side plate 12 of the first case 10.

Both the moving mechanism 40 and the block 50 are located in the accommodating space. One end of the moving mechanism 40 is pivoted to the side plate 12 of the first case 10 via the pivotal member 30. The block 50 is pivoted to another end of the moving mechanism 40 which is opposite to the pivotal member 30, and the block 50 is slidably disposed on the side plate 12 of the first case 10.

In detail, the moving mechanism 40 includes a first movable member 41 and a second movable member 42. The first movable member 41 has a first end 411 and a second end 412 which are opposite to each other. The second movable member 42 has a third end 421 and a fourth end 422 which are opposite to each other. The first end 411 of the first movable member 41 has a slot 411 a. In this embodiment, the slot 411 a is a polygon-shaped slot corresponding to the aforementioned polygon-shaped block of the neck part 32. Thus, when the slot 411 a of the first movable member 41 is fixed to the polygon-shaped block of the neck part 32 of the pivotal member 30, the first movable member 41 is able to be rotated with the pivotal member 30. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the connection between the first movable member 41 and the pivotal member 30. In other embodiments, the first movable member 41 can be fixed to the pivotal member 30 by adhering. The third end 421 of the second movable member 42 has a first pivoting hole 421 a. A first protrusion 4121 located on the second end 412 of the first movable member 41 is pivoted to the first pivoting hole 421 a. The block 50 has a second pivoting hole 50 a. A second protrusion 4221 located on the fourth end 422 of the second movable member 42 is pivoted to the second pivoting hole 50 a. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the connection between the first movable member 41, the second movable member 42 and the block 50. In another embodiment, the first pivoting hole 421 a can be located on the second end 412 of the first movable member 41, and the first protrusion 4121 can be located on the third end 421 of the second movable member 42. In yet another embodiment, the second pivoting hole 50 a can be located on the fourth end 422 of the second movable member 42, and the second protrusion 4221 can be located on the block 50.

A part of the block 50 is slidably located in the groove 13 a. Thus, when the pivotal member 30 is rotated, the pivotal member 30 drives the first movable member 41 to rotate relative to the side plate 12 of the first case 10, and the first movable member 41 drives the second movable member 42 to slide the block 50 along the groove 13 a.

Then, the operation of the case assembly 1 is described hereinafter. Please refer to FIGS. 3A-3B, FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional views of the case assembly in FIG. 1 when a block is located at a fixed position, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional views of the case assembly in FIG. 1 when the block is located at a detached position.

Firstly, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the first case 10 and the second case 20 are assembled together, the block 50 is located at a fixed position. In this position, a side of the block 50 which is opposite to the main part 21 of the second case 20 press against a side of the fixing portion 222 of the fixing part 22 which is close to the main part 21, so the block 50 is able to restrict the second case 20 for preventing from being moved away from the first case 10. Hence, the second case 20 and the first case 10 are firmly assembled together.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the user is able to detach the second case 20 from the first case 10 when the pivotal member 30 is rotated by a specific screwdriver (not shown) from outside of the first case 10. In detail, the user can use the specific screwdriver which fits the recess 33 a of the pivotal member 30 to rotate the pivotal member 30 in the direction of arrow A, and the pivotal member 30 is able to drive the first movable member 41 of the moving mechanism 40 to rotate in the direction of arrow A as well. In such a case, the second end 412 of the first movable member 41 and the third end 421 of the second movable member 42 are moved upwardly. The fourth end 422 of the second movable member 42 drives the block 50 to move toward the pivotal member 30 in the direction of arrow B. Thus, the block 50 is detached from the fixing portion 222 and moved from the fixed position to a detached position. Hence, the block 50 is no longer in contact with the fixing portion 222, so the second case 20 is not restricted by the block 50.

Then, the lifted second end 412 and the third end 421 push against the main part 21 of the second case 20, so a part of the second case 20 is pushed upwardly and separated from the first case 10, thereby allowing the user to easily detach the second case 20 from the first case 10, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the main part 21 of the second case 20 can be pushed upwardly only by the lifted second end 412 when the block 50 is moved to the detached position.

Furthermore, the configuration of the fixing part 22 can be altered as long as it is able to be fixed with the block 50 when the block 50 is located at the fixed position. Moreover, the quantity of the movable units of the moving mechanism 40 can be altered according to actual requirements. In other embodiments, the moving mechanism 40 can include more than three, four or only one movable unit. In the case that the moving mechanism 40 has single movable unit, the moving mechanism 40 can be made of deformable material. In such a case, when one end of the moving mechanism 40 is driven by the pivotal member 30, the moving mechanism 40 is deformed for moving the block 50 connected to the other end of the moving mechanism 40.

According to the case assembly as discussed above, since the block is movable between the fixed position and the detached position by the moving mechanism, the block is able to restrict the second case for firmly assemble the second case and the first case together, and is able to release the second case and force a part of the second case to separate from the first case, so the user is able to easily assemble the front case and the back together and detach the front case and the back case from each other.

Furthermore, since the pivotal member is made of plastic material, the pivotal member will not scratch and damage the surface of the front case when it is being used.

Moreover, only the head part of the pivotal member is exposed to the outside of the cases, thus the case assembly is simple in appearance.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the disclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A case assembly, comprising: a first case having an inner surface and a groove, and the groove located at the inner surface; a second case including a main part and a fixing part, the main part detachably disposed on the first case, the fixing part disposed on a side of the main part which is close to the first case; a moving mechanism, one end of the moving mechanism pivoted to the inner surface of the first case; and a block pivoted to another end of the moving mechanism, at least a part of the block slidably located in the groove so that the block is slidable between a fixed position and a detached position; wherein when the block is located at the fixed position, the block restricts the fixing part of the second case so as to assemble the second case and the first case together; wherein when the moving mechanism drives the block to move from the fixed position to the detached position, the fixing part of the second case is not restricted by the block, and the moving mechanism forces a part of the second case to separate from the first case.
 2. The case assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a pivotal member pivoted to the first case, the moving mechanism pivoted to the first case via the pivotal member, and an outer surface of the first case leaving the pivotal member exposed.
 3. The case assembly according to claim 2, wherein the pivotal member has a recess, and the outer surface leaves the recess exposed.
 4. The case assembly according to claim 2, wherein the moving mechanism comprises a first movable member and a second movable member, the first movable member has a first end and a second end which are opposite to each other, the second movable member has a third end and a fourth end which are opposite to each other, the first end of the first movable member is fixed to the pivotal member, the third end and the fourth end of the second movable member are respectively pivoted to the second end of the first movable member and the block.
 5. The case assembly according to claim 4, wherein when the block is moved from the fixed position to the detached position, at least one of the second end of the first movable member and the third end of the second movable member pushes against the main part of the second case so as to force a part of the second case to separate from the first case.
 6. The case assembly according to claim 1, wherein the fixing part comprises a connecting portion and a fixing portion, one end of the connecting portion is connected to the main part, the fixing portion is connected to another end of the connecting portion, when the block is located at the fixed position, a side of the block which is opposite to the main part presses against the fixing portion of the fixing part.
 7. The case assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first case comprises a side plate and a bottom plate, the side plate is disposed on the bottom plate, the moving mechanism is pivoted to the side plate, and the main part of the second case is detachably disposed on the side plate of the first case. 